A Caithness mum who was told she might end up having her baby in England because there were no specialist cots available in Scotland has gathered more than 1,000 signatures for a petition to improve services at her local hospital.
Leonie Ham, of Freswick, was told by medics at Caithness General Hospital that she would have to travel to Newcastle to give birth to her third child due to a lack of specialist baby care facilities.
She went into labour on December 16 last year, but doctors said anyone who was less than 37 weeks pregnant had to be moved due to a risk of health complications. At the time she was 36 weeks and four days.
The next afternoon, she was transferred to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin, where she gave birth to her daughter Iris who had an infection and collapsed lungs.
At the time, there were no specialist cots available at Raigmore Hospital and a major lack of them across Scotland.
In the year since Iris was born, Mrs Ham has been forced to make the 2.5-hour trip to Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, to get her daughter checked out for recurring infections, more than a dozen times.
The 25-year-old started an online petition this week for a better services and facilities at Caithness General and this has gained more than 1,000 signatures.
The petition will be sent to Scottish Health Minister Shona Robison, north MP Paul Monaghan and Dr Paul Gray.
Mrs Ham, who also lives with husband Iain, son George, 4, and daughter Phoebe, 2, said: “It was very lucky I was in Elgin when I had my daughter as she more than likely wouldn’t have survived being born in Wick due to the lack of special care available.
“She needed help with her breathing and they had no facilities at all. The whole experience was highly traumatic.
“It’s really important that we get a better service and more facilities at Caithness General.’
An NHS Highland spokesman responded: “We are not aware of the petition and nobody has been in touch with us directly to discuss service provision in Caithness. We would be happy to discuss with anyone who has concerns.”